Author
Topic: New guy here,Need help (Read 3285 times)

Just a question if they were africanize killer bees i would of known right?

Hi Jayden,This may be more than you were asking for: Just because they are gentle does not mean they are of European vs. Africanized genetics. Africanized does not necessarily mean "killer bees." Old timer beekeepers here in Southern Arizona where we have had "killer bees" for at least 20 years will tell you "some Africanized colonies will be as gentle as any Italian or other European strains, and some European bees will be as nasty as any Africanized hive." I am quoting one of the biggest producers in the Southwestern USA. I have also found that to be true in my experience.I hope your bees find a nice beekeeper who will perform a tidy cut-out, meaning take them away with as little trauma as possible so you can be bee-free and the bees can have a well-managed home.Lastly, I would say that if a colony that big and that robust were found under a mobile home in this part of the country (which is a very common experience here--I see it virtually every week most of the year) we would know it is Africanized because it is surviving without the "benefit" of antibiotics, miticides (actually called acaracides--meaning pesticides to kill mites that parasitize bees) and other intervention upon which the European bees are dependent. Given their reported gentleness, we would gladly do the cut-out and see what comes of the bees over time, to see if they are "all three" meaning: Healthy, gentle/manageable. and productive.As a wise beek said in another post "they may not seem so gentle when their hive starts coming apart." Then again, they may calmly cooperate with the cut-out, and gladly get on with life in a managed hive box.Best wishes,SkepWrangler